Mary Pierce was born on January 15th, 1975, in Montreal, Canada while her mother was on a trip to the city. She never lived in Montreal but maintains an affinity with the people there whenever the WTA tour makes a stop for the Canadian Open. During her childhood, her father Jim initiated Pierce into the sport of tennis. With his guidance and prodding, she blossomed into a talented player, but the pressure to perform to his standard was intense. Pierce was raised in a sheltered environment, where her performance on the court was the sole barometer of her worth. Her father put everything he had into her success and as the stakes were raised, he supposedly became abusive. His behavior later got him expelled from the WTA tour and Pierce expelled him as coach after tiring of the emotional and physical abuse.

Pierce made her professional debut at the tender age of 14, a record that stood until Jennifer Capriati broke it at the Hilton Head tournament in 1989. She made a minimal impact on tour until she cracked the top ten for the first time in 1994. The next year Pierce made waves when she was victorious in Melbourne at the Australian Open and she became the first French woman to capture a Major win since 1967. The dream of winning for her native France however, was finally realized in 2000 when Pierce won at Roland Garros in Paris. Pierce had never received universal acceptance in the country of her mother due to her residence in Florida, but the entire nation celebrated the win en masse.